[Not a Number]

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Isn't the warranty in the EU 2-3 years? Your camera may still be under warranty. The aperture mechanism would be replaced with the newer version which appears to be to have addressed the problem.

[photogem]

One other option is to use Pentax Camera Repair. https://www.pentaxcamerarepair.com/

I don't think they do a solenoid replacement, but rather do something to the solenoid to make it so that works better -- at least for a while. The cost with shipping for their service is 125 dollars. I sent my daughter's K-S1 there about 5 or 6 years ago and it still is working fine.

It is a possibility but @Tonyzoc had problems with his K-S2 which was repaired there.
If the $/€ (???)140-repair is going to be with the Japan-Solenoid (which it should be, only the Japan-Solenoid is worth €/$ 60) then this is the way way superior option. Why save $15 for a strong sanding/filing job:
Why you shouldn't file/sand the China solenoid + Avoid Lenovo Solenoids - PentaxForums.com

But... if the $/€140-repair would be not a guaranteed Japan-solenoid-replacement, then I'd prefer this one you suggested, because that guy gives inofficial longer warranty than a year and then it would be just extra shipping costs. So it is worth considering for that case!


The thing is: A DIY repair actually is pretty easy:

Once it's shouldered it becomes light!

[photogem]

Isn't the warranty in the EU 2-3 years? Your camera may still be under warranty. The aperture mechanism would be replaced with the newer version which appears to be to have addressed the problem.

He is registered in USA!
That's what raided questions for me, why an estimate in EUR???

[normhead]

For a measly 140 euros I'd fix the K-70. By far the cheapest option.

I was considering buying one new a year or so ago. Getting one for even a couple hundred dollars seems well worth it.

[Haenzel]

this thread the way you have started it has the potential to easily degenerate into brand bashing which is not permitted under board terms of service. This should not happen, right?

I don't think harisel is bashing Pentax or has got the intention to bash Pentax. He's, in my opinion, raising a valid point. Why is it not allowed to discus existing issues with specific Pentax cameras? Each brand has got issues.No use to remain silence about it. Better to be honest and try to solve it.

It's up to the community to help him persuade to stick with the wonderful brand Pentax (as some forum members already have done)

[photogem]

What data do you have that competing brands at this price point make "more reliable" cameras?

BTW, this thread the way you have started it has the potential to easily degenerate into brand bashing which is not permitted under board terms of service. This should not happen, right?

I don't think harisel is bashing Pentax or has got the intention to bash Pentax.

Well, this part of his post has some potential:

So my question, what would you recommend? Pay the cost to repair or just move to a more reliable brand?

He's, in my opinion, raising a valid point. Why is it not allowed to discus existing issues with specific Pentax cameras? Each brand has got issues. No use to remain silence about it. Better to be honest and try to solve it.

There is no question that existing issues can be discussed here and they have and had been often discussed.

Nevertheless saying "to move to more reliable brands, well, that is a bit confrontational, don't you think so?

Same here:

Hi guys! I have of course a dead solenoid on my K70.

To me this "of course" sounds as well a bit confrontational.

Because I know this very issue very well I can say for sure, that it was very difficult to actually find out what the real reason was.
This green solenoid had been tested for many years in the K100D, K110D, K200D, K-m, K-x and K-r in the pop-up-flash circuit and it work without failure. When it then started to cause ABF-problems it was really difficult to find out because all new China-made solenoids worked fine. That the magnetic structure would alter... nobody could have guessed that .... and so on and on and on.
All explained HERE in all detail

[jgnfld]

I don't think harisel is bashing Pentax or has got the intention to bash Pentax. He's, in my opinion, raising a valid point. Why is it not allowed to discus existing issues with specific Pentax cameras? Each brand has got issues.No use to remain silence about it. Better to be honest and try to solve it.

It's up to the community to help him persuade to stick with the wonderful brand Pentax (as some forum members already have done)

I raised the potential, not the reality.


I also raised the silly notion--from my professional science research background, no doubt--that actual data is usually superior to unsupported comments. Sorry if I let my former profession seep in inappropriately.

[MarkJerling]

Hi guys,

I have been with pentax for around 15 years. First with a k-x and then with k70. Now i use it only to take my kids photos, at parties, football etc , with my 18-250 lens. I got done prime lenses at the beginning, but i rarely use them now
So, now i have a problem with k70's solenoid and searched a bit the cost: solenoid will be around 60 eur and repair service 80 EUR.

So my question, what would you recommend? Pay the cost to repair or just move to a more reliable brand?

Thanks

I suspect you'll struggle to find a more "reliable brand". Several reliability surveys have found all camera manufacturers rate roughly the same.
There are many threads on the forum advising how to (cheaply and reliably) repair the solenoid.

Good luck!

[MarkJerling]

He is registered in USA!
That's what raided questions for me, why an estimate in EUR???

His IP address puts him in Europe. Euro it is.

[reh321]

Hi guys,

So my question, what would you recommend? Pay the cost to repair or just move to a more reliable brand?

Thanks

I’m not sure what you mean by “a more reliable brand”.

Ten years ago I was a happy Canon user, then I had two Rebels fail me in a row. At that price, any camera could fail. Pentax has worked on that problem, and now the K-70 / KF seems reasonably reliable. That does not mean that no camera will fail, but you’ll get as reliable service as you would from a Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc. Incidentally, my first digital Pentax camera was a K-30, and in a few years the body lost its ability to control the aperture, so I simply started using it with old film lenses, which allow me to set the aperture at the lens. This was not an ideal situation, and I did purchase a KP within a year. I do still use the K-30 on occasion, and I have now reached the point where I have used the K-30 + the KP as long as I used the two Digital Rebels. I do still use both of them, while both of my Canon Rebels ended up in the county dump because there was no ‘work-around’ for processor failure {each had shown symptoms of processor problems before it failed completely}. If hadn’t purchased that KP, I would purchase a KF, and not expect that problem to occur with it.

[OldChE]

I would definitely pay the costs you mentioned and get the K-70 repaired. It is a fine camera, and will last you many more years afterwards.

[harisel]

Wow! thank you guys, i didnt expect so many answers that are aiming to help me!

I am located in Europe, and that's why the pricing is in EUR. I don't even remember where it was requesting my Country. I was actually active back in 2010, but i changed my email long ago, and thus i dont have or remember my username!

I think i am more dissapointed by the recent facts. I was getting 1-2 initial dark photos and then the camera as OK for some months, but because i am not active in any forum, i didnt know this was an indication of the problem. Then, all of a sudden at a football tournament of my son, all photos were dark. I had to increase ISO to the max, or maximum apperture, which resulted in awful photos... That's where dissapointment came in, because i didnt break the camera in any way, the camera broke by itself. I remember testing other lenses, and i think they worked. Which is why i focused in that the lens was faulty and was trying to buy other lenses online. Which resulted in I was searching for a month now for what happened, and i realised there are so many options for Nikon/Canon/Sony lenses, but few for Pentax.

Then, i went to the repair shop to fix my "supposed" broken lens, then the guy checks the camera installs his own lens, and i get the response "oh boy, Pentax, oufff..... The camera is the problem not the lens. But good luck with Pentax... There arent any parts to fix it. The problem is this small thing called Solenoid, which is not caused by you, but by the manufacturer. If you can find the part, bring it back to fix it. My time would be EUR 80, for this job."

So i searched online, and then all posts on Solenoid appeared! I understood i should find "White" ones and not Green ones. But 99% of the solenoids found are green. Only 2 white ones are onine for Europe: this one is my main option total 64 eur Option 1 , there is another one, but it seems to be different than others: Option 2

So i am not sure if by changing the solenoids will be a permanent fix, then also if the camera is opened, it will not be anymore water resistant correct?
I was thinking whether is worth it to open my k-x and get the solenoid from there, but it might not be a long term solution?

I dont know what "bashing" , and i dont want to answer on that. The admins can delete the whole thread if they want....

I think by reading the posts, and also by my instict, i will just repair the camera. I dont have the time and i dont feel the neeed to buy a new toy for now.
Although i am in to DIY work, i am afraid that i might mess the wires of the camera with the soldening work, that last time i did it was 30 years ago at school.

---------- Post added 01-24-23 at 11:22 PM ----------

Sorry, i cannot find the edit button for my previous post. The camera was bought in 2018, thus not in warranty anymore.

[tryphon4]

So my question, what would you recommend? Pay the cost to repair or just move to a more reliable brand?

It will be difficult to find a brand that is more reliable than Pentax, especially if you want to buy a DSLR.
The repairer is the problem, not the brand.

[photogem]

To open the K-x is very simple, there should be one green China-Solenoid in the flash-circuit, that you don't use.
And then there should be one for the aperture. If you had your K-x for a long time, it will have the white Japan-DSLR Solenoid

Option 2 is not white which you obviously can see.
We had just recently a thread concerning this blue version:
K-S1: A BLUE Solenoid? - PentaxForums.com

Option 1 isn't save either: The seller has sold SLR solenoids which look identical to the DSLR solenoids.


But anyway, you should have one in your K-x so that's the way to go.
And then just repair it.

Concering bashing:
Nobody said you're a Pentaxbasher but the way you made your entry felt a bit into the direction of condescending.


The strange thing is that for example in the German DSLR forum people love to bash Pentax. Almost like sports but this is also very typical for a strong part of the German mentality: To have fun on the costs of others, i.e. what is known as "Schadenfreude", a word which even is known in the English language.


And "Schadenfreude" is something Pentaxbashers enjoy very much, as said, almost like some sort of a sport-discipline. And strangly it is also well known in the two other neighbour contries, particular Austria and partly Switzerland.

I lived once in the house of a later famous Suisse world-champion alpine skiier, he was my coach for years when I lived in Davos.
When he later on had an accident and had to retire, the bashing that went on was terrible.

Later I lived near the Austrian border and often was in Austria. It was different but in a way worse over there.


It is very strange: I hardly came across Pentaxusers bashing other brands.
As I have some contacts to Japan: Zero Pentaxbashing over there.

[MarkJerling]

Wow! thank you guys, i didnt expect so many answers that are aiming to help me!

I am located in Europe, and that's why the pricing is in EUR. I don't even remember where it was requesting my Country. I was actually active back in 2010, but i changed my email long ago, and thus i dont have or remember my username!

I think i am more dissapointed by the recent facts. I was getting 1-2 initial dark photos and then the camera as OK for some months, but because i am not active in any forum, i didnt know this was an indication of the problem. Then, all of a sudden at a football tournament of my son, all photos were dark. I had to increase ISO to the max, or maximum apperture, which resulted in awful photos... That's where dissapointment came in, because i didnt break the camera in any way, the camera broke by itself. I remember testing other lenses, and i think they worked. Which is why i focused in that the lens was faulty and was trying to buy other lenses online. Which resulted in I was searching for a month now for what happened, and i realised there are so many options for Nikon/Canon/Sony lenses, but few for Pentax.

Then, i went to the repair shop to fix my "supposed" broken lens, then the guy checks the camera installs his own lens, and i get the response "oh boy, Pentax, oufff..... The camera is the problem not the lens. But good luck with Pentax... There arent any parts to fix it. The problem is this small thing called Solenoid, which is not caused by you, but by the manufacturer. If you can find the part, bring it back to fix it. My time would be EUR 80, for this job."

So i searched online, and then all posts on Solenoid appeared! I understood i should find "White" ones and not Green ones. But 99% of the solenoids found are green. Only 2 white ones are onine for Europe: this one is my main option total 64 eur Option 1 , there is another one, but it seems to be different than others: Option 2

So i am not sure if by changing the solenoids will be a permanent fix, then also if the camera is opened, it will not be anymore water resistant correct?
I was thinking whether is worth it to open my k-x and get the solenoid from there, but it might not be a long term solution?

I dont know what "bashing" , and i dont want to answer on that. The admins can delete the whole thread if they want....

I think by reading the posts, and also by my instict, i will just repair the camera. I dont have the time and i dont feel the neeed to buy a new toy for now.
Although i am in to DIY work, i am afraid that i might mess the wires of the camera with the soldening work, that last time i did it was 30 years ago at school.

---------- Post added 01-24-23 at 11:22 PM ----------

Sorry, i cannot find the edit button for my previous post. The camera was bought in 2018, thus not in warranty anymore.

Option 1 looks like the correct white solenoid. Option 2 appears to be a blue solenoid, with other words a type usually used in a DVD or CD player. Avoid the blue ones and the green ones.